Windows 10: [KioskMode] Windows 11 Kiosk XML Configuration does not disable TaskBar

Dylan Alvaro · Dec 4, 2023

Dear Microsoft community,I've been trying to setup a machine Dell Inspiron 17 running Windows 11 Pro 10.0.22631 for a local user with a multi-app kiosk profile. The requirement is simple: Upon login, the user shall only have access to cmd.exe no desktop, no taskbar, no notification, no explorer.exe.In addition to some GroupPolicy applied to the specific "TestKiosk1" user, I'm using the following Powershell code, including the Kiosk XML configuration. cmd.exe does appear correctly and most of the actions are blocked but it seems that the ShowTaskBar has no effect whether it is true or false

:)

Yuhao Li - MSFT · Dec 4, 2023

Issues caused by TaskBar configuration via xml

You can try Group Policy instead of a layout modification XML file to configure the taskbar, as I suggested previously:

Customize Windows 10 Start and taskbar with group policy - Configure Windows | Microsoft Learn

You can also use a JSON file instead of an XML file to customize the start menu layout on Windows 11 devices. This method is more flexible and doesn’t affect the taskbar configuration. To do this, you need to create a JSON file with the apps you want to pin to the start menu, and apply it using Group Policy, MDM, or a provisioning package. Detailed steps can be found here:

Add or remove pinned apps on the Start menu in Windows 11 - Configure Windows | Microsoft Learn (applicable to Windows 10 as well)

I hope you can also get a solution in Q&A.

Yuhao Li - MSFT · Dec 4, 2023

Issues caused by TaskBar configuration via xml

I’m sorry to hear that the taskbar shortcut keeps disappearing when you pin a new shortcut to the start layout. Try using Group Policy instead of a provisioning package or import-startlayout to configure the taskbar. Using Group Policy allows users to make changes to the taskbar that will persist, while using other methods will reapply your configuration each time the explorer.exe process restarts. Details can be found here: Customize Windows 10 Start and taskbar with group policy - Configure Windows | Microsoft Learn

As for your second question, yes, you can work only on the taskbar without adding anything related to the start layout in the XML file. You just need to create an XML file that contains only the <CustomTaskbarLayoutCollection> section and apply it to your devices using Group Policy or a provisioning package. You can find an example of such an XML file in this article:

Configure Windows 10 taskbar - Configure Windows | Microsoft Learn

If you have any other questions, I recommended to post them here: Windows 10 - Microsoft Q&A, as suggested previously.

Brink · Dec 4, 2023

Simplifying kiosk management for IT with Windows 10

This post outlines the investments Microsoft is making to simplify the configuration and management of kiosk devices, improving Windows 10 as a kiosk platform for IT organizations. Our investments in kiosk and Firstline Worker scenarios are part of a bigger mission to simplify IT in the modern workplace.

You see kiosks everywhere you go: in airports, supermarkets, movie theaters, restaurants, banks, and many other places. Kiosks have many forms and functions. What most people don’t realize is that many of them are powered by Windows.

Windows has long been the platform of choice for kiosk devices because of its security capabilities, the availability of applications, enterprise software assurance support, and a broad ecosystem of device and peripheral partners. Today we see a growing number of IT organizations developing and deploying their own kiosk solutions using standard hardware and, in some cases, repurposing existing hardware.

We use the term “kiosk” as an umbrella term for a broad category of devices, but it generally boils down to two main scenarios:

Kiosks that are used in the “public” domain and do not require users to login or authenticate.

Kiosks that are shared by Firstline Workers to complete a specific task, which typically requires the user to authenticate before accessing the device.

Both usage scenarios have a few requirements in common:

The need for security, regardless of where the kiosks are deployed.

A consistent experience for each person who uses them, so that no one person can modify the device in a way that impacts the next user.

The need for an intuitive experience that is focused on the task at hand.

In the past year, with every Windows feature update, we’ve introduced significant improvements to our kiosk capabilities:

Assigned access enables you to create not only single app kiosks for customers, but also provides the capability to create a kiosk that runs multiple apps.

Assigned access now works with Windows 10 Pro and higher, including in S Mode.

Windows Configuration Designer includes a wizard for single-app kiosk configuration. Install a provisioning package and your device is ready to go.

Multi-app kiosks now support both Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps and classic Win32 apps.

You can deploy curated kiosk experiences directly from the cloud using Microsoft Intune.

We continue to add more policies that enable IT to tailor the experience for end users. To name a few: power settings to enable any device to run 24/7, touch keyboard configuration policies, locked down Start screen, and more.

For more information, see Set up a kiosk or digital signage on Windows 10. You can also watch a quick demo on setting up a kiosk using Microsoft Intune or using a provisioning package.

With the upcoming release of Windows 10, version 1803, we are taking the next steps in our efforts to make kiosks even more capable – and easier to deploy and configure. Some key assigned access enhancements include:

Support for multiple screens for digital signage use cases.

The ability to ensure all MDM configurations are enforced on the device prior to entering assigned access using the Enrollment Status page.

The ability to configure and run Shell Launcher in addition to existing UWP Store apps.

A simplified process for creating and configuring an auto-logon kiosk account so that a public kiosk automatically enters a desired state after a reboot, a critical security requirement for public-facing use cases.

For multi-user Firstline Worker kiosk devices, instead of specifying every user, it’s now possible to assign different assigned access configurations to Azure AD groups or Active Directory groups.

To help with troubleshooting, you can now view error reports generated if an assigned access-configured app has issues.

Kiosk Browser

We are excited to complete the circle of support for classic Windows desktop apps and UWP Store Apps with a new Kiosk Browser app. The Kiosk Browser app is built on Microsoft Edge and can be used to create a tailored browsing experience. Kiosk Browser is great for presenting interactive web apps and digital signage content. Kiosk Browser can be configured to navigate to a default URL without showing any UI. When used with other types of kiosks, it can be configured with a list of allowed URLs and the UI elements that should be presented (e.g. navigation buttons). It can also be configured to automatically clear user data between sessions.

To ensure IT has control, Kiosk Browser can only be configured through provisioning or an MDM provider such as Intune. Please refer to our documentation for more information on how to deploy and configure Kiosk Browser.

The Kiosk Browser is available in the Microsoft Store for Business for you to try out yourself.

Looking forward

This post would not be complete without sharing some of our future plans. We will continue to make it easier for IT departments to manage, configure, and deploy Windows 10 kiosks for customers and Firstline Workers, and plan to include the following capabilities in a future Windows 10 feature update:

Deploy a kiosk device with minimal user interaction, thanks to Windows AutoPilot and device management support. Simply unbox the device, start it up, and the device is ready to go. Stay tuned; this will be available to Windows Insiders in preview soon.

Enabling device management to remotely trigger a Windows AutoPilot Reset to bring a kiosk back to a pristine state for a reliable kiosk experience.

Integration of the Kiosk Browser’s functionality directly into Microsoft Edge to support a larger scope of web scenarios.

To learn more about Windows kiosks, check out our Windows kiosk documentation. I encourage you to try out the capabilities and leave a comment below if there are other enhancements and scenarios you would like from the platform.
Click to expand...

Source: Simplifying kiosk management for IT with Windows 10 - Microsoft Tech Community - 187691

Tip How to Setup Assigned Access (Kiosk Mode) in Windows 10

Windows 10: [KioskMode] Windows 11 Kiosk XML Configuration does not disable TaskBar

[KioskMode] Windows 11 Kiosk XML Configuration does not disable TaskBar

[KioskMode] Windows 11 Kiosk XML Configuration does not disable TaskBar

[KioskMode] Windows 11 Kiosk XML Configuration does not disable TaskBar

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